Sarah (given name)

Sarah
Gender Female
Origin
Word/Name Sanskrit, Hebrew [1]
Meaning "Princess", "Essence", "Woman of high rank".[1]
Other names
Related names Sara, Sarai, Sadie, Sasa

Sarah (alternatively spelled Sara) is a feminine given name found in many different areas of the world. Frequently, the name refers to Sarah, the wife of Abraham in the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Old Testament, and the Islamic Quran. In Hebrew, it means "Princess". It is also an old Sanskrit word meaning "essence".

Sarah is a consistently popular given name across Europe and North America[1], as well as in the Middle East - being commonly used as a female first name by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, and remaining popular also among non-religious members of cultures influenced by these religions. In the United States, Sara ranked among the top 10 names from 1978 to 2002. As of 2010, it remained the 30th most popular name for newborn girls.

The name has, similarly, gained much popularity in Ireland and the United Kingdom; in 2003, Sarah ranked one of the top 5 most popular Irish baby names. In Iran, Sarah also reliably ranks in the nation's top 1000 names for female newborns.[2]

Sarah has been counted among the top 150 given names since 1880, when name popularity statistics were first recorded in the United States. Its most common variant spelling, Sara, was number 121 in 2010. It's also the most attractive name a woman can have for most South Americans, specially for Colombians.[3]

In contemporary Israeli Hebrew, "sarah" (שרה), derived from the same linguistic origin, is also the word for "woman minister".

Other forms

See also

References